Halong Bay: Dau Be Island

Dau Be Island is another of the islands in Halong Bay. Dau Be has some sandy coves, great for sunbathing and swimming. Not far from the beaches there are some diving spots with rich corals. The island is famous for its Japanese run pearl culturing factories.

Dau Be has also a deep grotto with three inland lakes. The cave can only be visited at low tide with a rowing boat.

Halong Bay: Bo Hon Island

Another of the islands famous for its grottoes is Bo Hon Island. French called it the Surprise Island. Seven of the best grottoes in the Halong Bay area are in this island. The best cave in the island probably is Hang Bo Nau (or the Pelican Cave). The cave has a big entryway with stalagmites hanging from the ceiling. It is very typical to shot a picture of the bay from the cave. This grotto is very popular among tourists. Young kids may try to sell you hand made souvenirs or postcards while visiting this site.

Other famous caves in Bo Hon Island are Hang Sung Sot, a big one that can take you up to one hour to explore; and Hang Luon, with its circular pool accessible by boat.

Not far from Bo Hon there is a smaller island with a cave called Hang Trinh Nu. This grotto is famous for its shrine. Locals dedicated this grotto to a local girl. The legend says this girl escaped from a Mandarin that forced her to marry him because her father could not pay a debt. When fishermen found her dead body, they buried her here, and built a small shrine inside the grotto.

Halong Bay: Dau Go Island

One of the islands famous for its grottoes is Dau Go Island. The largest cave in the area is in this island, Hang Dau Go (or the Wooden Stakes Cave). The grotto is popular among tourists since the 19th century, when French called it the Wonders Grotto. Some of its stalagmites are more than 800 inches high (20 meters).

Another famous cave in this island is the Hang Tuyet (Snow Cave), which was discovered more recently. The entryway is steep and slippery. You will need a good flashlight.

Halong Bay: Ship tour

In this picture you can see one of the boats that do the Halong Bay tour. If weatherconditions are good, you can lie on a chair on the deck above. If not, you will have to sit inside.

During the Bay tour, the boat will serve a lunch. Most of the times food is included, and beverages have to be paid apart.

Halong Bay: The best weather to visit

The best time to visit the Halong Bay area is in Spring and Summer. During Fall and Winter the sea is not very clear because of the muddy waters the rain in the region brings to the sea. In Summer, days are clearer and temperatures are high. In winter the area may be visited, but you won't be able to swim.
For the two- and three-days tours there are two options of accommodation. One is sleeping on a boat. The other is sleeping on one of the islands in the bay. Tourism is developing in the area. New hotels are being built in the bigger islands. I recommend sleeping one night on the boat, but if I were you I would not sleep a second night on board. Boats are small, noisy and do rock a lot. If you want a tip, sleep in a hotel the second night.

Halong Bay: Halong Bay Virtual Tour

The world famous Halong Bay is a must see in any travel to Vietnam. The bay and its 3,000 islands will surprise you no matter how many pictures you have seen before.

The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Many travel agencies in Hanoi offer excursions to Halong Bay. Allow, at least, two days to visit the bay. The islands vary in size, some are small -- as the one in the picture --, others are quite big. Some of the islands have grottoes that can be visited.

Halong Bay: Phoenix Cruiser 3 days / 2 nights

Day 1: Hanoi-Halong

7h30 to 8.15AM : The bus and guide pick you up at your hotel for the 3.5 hr drive (165km) to Halong City.

12:00 PM : Board Halong Phoenix Cruiser. Lunch and a welcome drink are served while the boat cruises the bay to enjoy the beautiful limestone seascape.

You will see Dog Rock and Incense Burner Rocks, as well as Fighting Cock Rock before heading to Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises).

Later, we stop at a floating house owned by fishermen before kayaking to Luon Cave to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the bay.